Body of Missing Transgender Man Found After a Month of ‘Physical and Psychological’ Torture, 5 Arrested: Police

Five people have been arrested after a 24-year-old transgender man was found dead in New York after being subjected to over a month of “physical and psychological abuse,” police have said.

On Friday, Feb. 14, New York State Police said the remains of a man, who they believed to be Sam Nordquist, originally from Minnesota, had been found the day prior in a field off Payne Road in Yates County, per an updated missing person appeal.

Officers confirmed Precious Arzuaga, 38; Jennifer A. Quijano, 30; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick A. Goodwin, 30; and Emily Motyka, 19 had all been arrested and charged with murder in the second degree with depraved indifference, the release stated.

The victim had been residing at Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell, N.Y. with Arzuaga and others, police said. All five suspects have been arraigned and remanded to the Ontario County Jail.

“Following extensive investigative efforts, law enforcement officials uncovered evidence indicating that Nordquist was subjected to ongoing physical abuse between December 2024 and February 2025,” the post stated.

The release continued, “Investigators executed multiple search warrants at Patty’s Lodge and other locations tied to the case. Evidence, including electronic devices, clothing, and personal effects, has been secured for further forensic analysis.” 

“The investigation indicated that the victim was subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse before being transported to Yates County, where the remains were disposed of,” police added, confirming that the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office “will conduct an autopsy to confirm the cause and manner of death.” 

The victim had last been in contact with his family at the end of January, police said in the initial missing person post. He was last seen in early February.

Captain Kelly Swift of the New York State Police Troop E’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation said during a news conference on Friday that officers hadn’t ruled out that the murder was a hate crime amid the ongoing investigation, per a clip shared by News 10 NBC.

Swift said a “deeply disturbing pattern of abuse” had ultimately resulted in the victim’s death, and that he’d been “subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture.” The officer said it was one of the “most horrific crimes” she’d ever investigated in her 20-year law enforcement career.

Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritts said that the case was “by far the worst” homicide investigation that the office had ever been a part of.

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The victim’s mother, Linda Nordquist, told CNN affiliate KARE that her son “had a heart of gold and wouldn’t hurt anybody.”

Rochester LGBTQ+ Together was also among those reacting to Nordquist’s death on Facebook, writing, “Sam Nordquist should still be alive. We are truly angered and disgusted to learn the details of Sam’s final days and immensely saddened to learn of his murder. We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.”

The New York State Police and the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.